Ritual of Shadows
by ZombieVampireAuthor
Summary: The ritual is specific, the youngest of the house marked on the night of the full moon must be given to THEM. But when poor Summer is chosen, Jenny refuses to sit by quietly and let her friend be handed over. But Jenny knows nothing of demons, especially the beautiful blue eye boy that offers to help her. Can Jenny beat these demons and save her friend? Or has she doomed herself?
1. Chapter 1

The night was always bitter. When the sun sunk passed the mountains, the land became under the cold reign of the shadows. It was numbing, blinding. It drove the strongest men to plead on their knees. The dark was _their_ territory, and anyone and anything that attempted to venture through it, belonged to them.

That's why Jenny was currently sprinting down the dirt road with the moonlight as her only guide. She knew what laid in the dark-what happened to those who tried to run. Her cypress green eyes desperately tried to peer through the night, to make sense of the shadows of the land around her. She searched frantically, through the village, in the stables, and finally to the fields. She knew-she couldn't see, but right at the edge of their village was where the main road dissipated, currently just a few feet in front of her, leading to the forest that surrounded their village. It was a place of death-no one ever came from this way-but Jenny knew.

Quickly she scanned the wheat fields to her right, the large patch of golden wisps usually so bright now nothing but a grey blur in the dark. She was panicking, panting, as she forced her eyes to adjust to the dark, to see something-anything.

There!

Jenny dove into the field, ignoring the pain from her bare feet. Her night gown got caught on edges of the crops, but it didn't slow her down. She charged through that field faster than any horse could, aiming for the body of wheat that was being shifted and shoved out of the way.

"Summer!"

With a jump the body revealed itself, covered by a cloak that was as black as the night, just a few feet from Jenny. She was almost smaller than the wheat, her head just barely passing the fresh fuzzy tips. Jenny was hoping to see her face, to try and still her with the worry in her eyes, but the small blonde took off, continuing to sprint through the field in a frantic mess.

Jenny called for her again, and she ran harder. The pain struck fiercer on her feet then, so sharp it burned. She knew she was bleeding but somehow the pain only spurred jenny further- imagining a pain like this but much worse, lasting much longer-

Not to herself. But others.

It took another minute of chasing, breaking more of the crops the closer to the end they got, approaching closer and closer to the line of the forest. But finally jenny got close enough and she snagged the girl's hood. There was a cry, a struggle, but Jenny snatched the girl in her arms, tighter than a vice, stopping her.

"Summer, stop!"

"No, let me go! Let me go!"

Summer tried then to break free from her own cloak, but jenny went around that, gripping Summer by her arms directly, trying to pull her back. The smaller blonde fought relentlessly.

"No no! I can't! I can't do it Jenny!"

"You can't just RUN from it Summer!"

She jerked from Jenny's arms, attempting once more to run off through the rest of the field, and again jenny grabbed her. This time they fell, collapsing together on a bed of crumpled wheat stocks, and they wrestled. It was a constant struggle until Jenny finally grabbed summer by her wrists, pinning summer against her chest from behind. It was there Summer lost her strength, the fear taking over, and the tears began to flow.

"I can't go back," she sobbed, weakly pulling against Jenny's grip. "I can't do it, jenny."

"If you run then they have every right to take you-"

"They already do!" Summers voice broke on the cry, echoing and fading into the darkness around them. "My name was chosen jenny. It was from my section of the village, my house name was called, and I got chosen. They're going to TAKE me."

Oh it was harsh. How to comfort her when she spoke the truth?

For years the deal was set. It was unsure how it all started. Many believed THEY had always been here, longer than humans, hiding in the shadows of the woods. The villagers must have wronged them somehow because it started with the nightmares. Then the hallucinations. People gone missing, the accidents.

The ritual was created to settle these incidents-a bargain with THEM. Every time the moon was full, the shadows of the night would taint one house. It was the same every time. A mark on the door, like a very queer letter of writing carved in blood. One member of the family from that household would thus be given to the shadows of the forest the next day. THEY didn't like elders, nor infants, but children and women they accepted easily. The villagers had discovered this painfully over the years through a very harsh game of guessing. Only those who had been around from the start understood the darkness at work behind this, but it was all too clear when the full moon came. That this time Summers house had been marked, and Summer was an only child.

That realization made everything inside Jenny prickle, sent everything on edge. She grabbed the small blonde and when Summer fought her grip she held tighter, forcing her to a still point. "No they're-Summer, look at me! I am not going to let them hurt you. Understand? Listen to me." Both her hands cupped the blonde's face, cheeks flushed and damp from tears, and Jenny stared into those swollen blue pools with an intensity stronger than a raging fire. She spoke slowly, firmly, saying, "I will do whatever it takes to keep you here, with your family. I will never let them take you." She waited until that fully sunk in Summer's eyes, her childish whimpers slowly dying down until she was panting and sniffling. "But I can't let you run. If you run away there's nothing I can do."

"Jenny-"

"Listen. Come home. Sleep in my quarters-I'll protect you. And tomorrow during the ceremony I'll take care of everything. They won't take you-ever. I swear."

Summer finally seemed to give in then and she buried her face into Jenny's chest, releasing all her fears through painful sobs. Jenny could only hold her, to console her, but although she was mumbling comforting words, her mind was in a race of thought-about tomorrow, about the ceremony, about the demons, and what she was going to have to do to keep her friend alive...

The ceremony began at midday when the sun was at its highest. This was the only time where there was the most light, their only conquer against the darkness. It started with the bells, summoning everyone into the village. Every body, whether ail or not, came to the main road of the village. One by one, they all lined against the edge of the road, stood with their families by their sides.

The first step was that the chosen one must be cleansed, and fed appropriately, all within their home. Because of this, Jenny had to return Summer to her home during the early hours of daylight, and with Summer's parent's permission, she thus stayed. She had to bathe with Summer, and eat with her just to get the small blonde to consume something without sobbing.

The next step was that the one chosen must be dressed in white; for some unfathomable reason _they_ seemed to like this. It was hard getting Summer changed, but Jenny could only offer support from across the room as she watched Summer's mother prompt her into changing with tears in her eyes. Her mother, a woman as short as her daughter, had the same thick blonde locks and small beautiful face. Only today her beauty had faded among the bags under her eyes, the swollen skin from wiping away tears. Her father was equal in paleness, the only color in his face coming from the scruff of dark hair around his chin. He looked lost as he aided in daughter into dressing, dark blue eyes tranced with bitter-sweet memories of aiding his daughter back as an infant-a time he so darkly wished he could go back to.

It was when Summer's mother broke down herself, and threw her arms around her baby, that Jenny left. She couldn't stand the sight, to see the image of loss displayed horribly before her like that. She couldn't think of such pain-not now. She had to focus.

Jenny knew she would be breaking one of the rules. She only prayed that no one would notice, would try and stop her. It would work. It _had_ to. When jenny went out to join the rest of the village in the line, she did not find her family. No, instead, she made her silent, quick way to the very end of the road, where the line stopped. The remainders of the villagers were gathered here; all those parents and siblings and friends who had lost someone from previous sacrifices. They all stood in a painful, sorrowful arch at the end of the road, all with their candles and flowers and jars. Behind them, towering over them, was the opening to the forbidden forest. The black trees seemed to reach the sky today, penetrating the bright blue, poisoning it, darkening it with _their_ shadows-their evil-

Jenny looked away. The mere sight of that opening was frightening enough, unable to see passed the shadows between the trees even in daylight, knowing what happens to those who cross-knowing that Summer, her dear friend, was the one who had to cross that line now. She wouldn't last. Summer was too frail. She was still a child. She barely handled a burn from the fire while cooking. She wouldn't make it. _No one_ ever makes it-

Even so, Jenny planted herself on the very thin border of the line of villagers and the arch of the "Passers," as the rules stated, and she waited. She didn't have a candle. Didn't bow her head. No, she silently wallowed in each ring of the bell that resonated through the silence of the village, deepening the omen in the air. With the very same field of wheat that Summer had tried to escape through last night to her back, Jenny stared up the main road, waited for them to come down the line, prayed with every fiber in her being that by some miracle they wouldn't. But they did.

Too soon, she saw the three bodies making their slow way down the road. The familiar small blonde was in between her parents, who each held onto one of her arms. She was in a flowing white gown that was too long for her short height, dragging on the dirt behind her. When they drew closer, Jenny saw that her friend's face had gone pliant. Her blue eyes were pale, staring off into the distance that didn't exist, only walking by the leading steps of her parents. Her mother was still crying, while her father seemed to be the only one still in his right mind-a terrible pain across his face, but gaze there, seeing it all as he walked his own flesh and blood to her demise.

As they passed the other villagers, by rule, some stepped forward and touched Summer's parents, grazing their hands on their shoulders or their backs, and mumbling, "We thank you for your sacrifice." Over and over, one by one down the line, they reached out, and stepped back in line. As for those that Summer passed, the villagers would kneel down and place their candle among the edge of the road where they stood; to keep the passage light for a safe return home.

When they finally reached the end, they stopped just a few people ahead of where Jenny stood. The next step was for the "Passers," of those related to previous losses, to say a prayer for this chosen one, and pass them along to _them_. However, the moment someone had begun to speak the holy words, Summer's mother finally snapped. She started to wail, to cling to her numb daughter and cry. Some of the Passers had to step in, to remove her, for the rule stated someone of blood or equal loyalty must walk the chosen one to the end; someone capable, in the proper state of calm. If the parents could not do it, a replacement must be found.

Thus, Jenny broke the line. As they finally pulled Summer's mother away, Jenny moved to the side of her friend and took Summers arm in hers, taking her mother's place before anyone could object. She remained stiff, too, with her head raised, mouth turned down. No tears, No fear or they would deem her incapable and remove her, too, and Jenny _couldn't_ let them do that. She held her breath as they dragged Summers mother off, and waited-prayed no one would remove her as well. Yet as the passers continued with the prayer, Jenny was left staring at the opening of the forbidden woods, realizing that she would have to go inside it to save Summer-No, she was going to have to do much worse if she wanted to save Summer.

Accepting this fact, Jenny finally searched the line for her family. They were not in sight. Their home was far behind the stables, back up the main road. They were most likely standing up there, where they should be. Jenny shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be doing this, but Summer didn't deserve this. No one deserved this. And Summer was like her own blood, a little sister. Jenny wouldn't be able to go through her life without the little blonde, knowing that she hadn't even tried... It was just...inhumane.

It was turning back to face the woods that Jenny's eyes caught someone she knew-Tom.

He was standing parallel to her, just off the opposite side of the arch that she had been standing on. Those dark brown eyes were searching her desperately, worry told by the lines in his face, fear coming from his parted lips. Seeing him so suddenly only made the fear in Jenny heighten. If this went wrong-No, who was she kidding? If this went the only way it could go, then….she would never see Tom again. Or her parents. Or Summer.

But the Passers finished their speech, and the tiny whimper she heard from the small blonde's mouth was her reminder. Why she was doing this. Why she _had_ to do this.

So when they parted, opening up the path for them to venture into the forest, to disappear into the fate that no one had ever witnessed and lived to tell the tale, Jenny was walking without hesitation. Summer's father was the one to initiate the first step, pulling his dead-weight of a daughter as well as jenny, but Jenny didn't refuse it. She kept her gaze with Tom as they started to leave the village, hoping the concern and the fear was obvious enough in her eyes that he would understand.

But he didn't. When she started to leave, his face changed entirely. Or perhaps he did understand, and that's why he tried to break through the crowd, pushed people aside, to get to her-Until someone, an elder, held him back. Tom didn't fight him, but his gaze remained on Jenny. it was the utterly helpless look he had in his eyes that made jenny's heart sink to her gut. She remembered their first kiss, behind the stables, a few years ago-How shy of a boy he was in front of others, but so calm with her; how they always met among their chores to talk and smile and laugh-and the promise they made each other; that if either of them got picked, that they'd try to stop it, for each other. Yet, here she was, stopping it not for Tom, but for Summer. Jenny wouldn't call it guilt, but it was definitely a terrible feeling swelling in her chest. All she could do, before he was completely out of her sight, was mouth "I'm sorry," before turning back forward.

Entering the forbidden forest was slow. So slow, in fact, it seemed timeless. There wasn't a beginning, or a moment of crossing the threshold as Jenny had feared. One moment they were on the dirt of their village road, then the next, they were completely swallowed by forest-their village gone from sight-replaced by nothing except shadows and trees and the cold-Such a bitter cold. The trees here were skinny, but tall, reaching the sky so dangerously tall; and pale, like a light gray. In fact, the farther they walked, the less color there was in the world. The leaves were not green. the ground was not brown. There was only gray, the shadows defining everything even in the minimal sunlight. It was still midday, but Jenny felt like it was the moment before morning, where the darkness is still there, still reigning over the world in its vast cold cruelty, leaving you hopeless of vision and clarity while knowing that hope was just a sliver of time away-a time that didn't exist here. It was obvious, just by the fact that it was near impossible to see passed the ten yards ahead of them, that light and hope and warmth didn't reach this place.

Oh, it was so _wrong_. A place like this shouldn't exist. A place like this shouldn't be resting outside their peaceful village, demanding sacrifices or else wreaking such disastrous havoc-

There was a tug on jenny's arm which is what pulled her to a stop. Summer was trying to backpedal away, stabbing her heels into the ground as a whole new fear raked over her face, one that left her bright blue eyes impossibly wide, pupils small, and jaw dropped. It took both Jenny and Summer's father to get her to stop fighting and keep moving forward, and what an awful experience it was-to convince her that she _must_ keep going toward her death. Jenny hated it. She hated this _whole_ thing.

Soon, after another soul-crushing minute of walking, they found it-the end. It was sitting in a circle of trees, permanently etched into the ground in a large, eye-deceiving circle. No, it was two circles, a smaller one inside the other, with...markings between them. The closer they got to the scene, the more surreal Jenny started to feel. It was darker here, hardly any light at all coming through the treetops above. It left a chill in the air, and the scene as silent as death. That's when Jenny realized there was no life here. The trees were bare and pale, the ground barren and empty. No animals, no other plant life, because this was a place of death.

Seeing it made everything in Jenny's blood run as cold as ice. Right away, she knew that this was the sight of dark magic-the kind people are punished for-the kind that has cursed their village and caused this whole ritual.

Summer's father had to pry himself away from his daughter with such a painful expression. He had a knife, which upon seeing it made Summer go into hysterics.

"No, honey, I _have_ to. I'm sorry," he was repeating over and over, until he finally got Summer's desperate hands off him, where he then went inside the two circles.

Summer all but collapsed into Jenny's arms, hiding her face in Jenny's neck, and Jenny knew Summer was sobbing, afraid of this. Jenny, however, couldn't take her eyes off Summer's father, completely entranced as he took the knife and sliced open his own palm. Then, cautiously, he lowered down and smeared the blood over the markings that were hardened like stone into the dirt. He did this to all of them, one by one around the circle, while Summer cried into her chest.

This was Jenny's chance. She could stop it, right here, somehow; she knew she could. And yet, she was still watching as Summer's father finished covering them all and came to a shaky stand, because she knew what came next. She had seen these markings before, in a terribly old memory, one that she did not want to surface. It was one of her grandfather, she knew for certain, and the room underneath his home. The rest of the memory-with these markings-was something that struck Jenny with so much fear, that she didn't realize her and Summer were standing in the center of the circle until Summer was screaming.

Her father had to fight her, once more, now with tears in his eyes. He had to grab her by the arms, just as Jenny had done to her last night in the wheat fields, to get her to stop thrashing. He was shouting back at her, his tone very desperate and taut. It was only when jenny grabbed her and spoke directly into her ear that Summer calmed down.

"Remember what I promised you," she said loud enough to be heard over Summer's screams, and she repeated it when Summer stopped, just to be sure. "Remember what I swore to you. Do you remember? Have faith in me, Summer. Trust me."

Summer's only response was a whimper before the small blonde dropped her head. This left her father staring very shockingly into Jenny's eyes. Jenny couldn't answer the question she saw so plainly in his gaze. Not aloud anyway. She did so only with her own gaze, staring hard enough until some kind of understanding came into them and he gave a nod so small that it could have passed for a nervous twitch.

The next moment happened too fast for words.

Summer's father spoke. He said-No, chanted the names in concession,with careful pronunciation. Then the world shook. The dirt _moved_ under their feet. The blood from the markings began to glow and burn and hiss at them. The entire forest screamed at them in a terribly loud inhuman shriek until it all finally dropped away from them-the floor of the forest literally turning into shadows that dropped all three of them into darkness.

The place they landed was like ice. Jenny instantly saw her breath when she opened her eyes, seeing the puff of air come from her onto the cold black ground underneath her. The loss of time was obvious, and frightful, but Jenny was over it the second she heard the whimper.

Sprawled out on her legs was Summer, looking like a dropped doll with her dress tangled around her body and blonde curls spread out over her head. Jenny immediately helped her up, seeing not even a scratch on the young girl. Her father was beside them as well, rubbing his head as he sat up from the ground, clutching his bloody hand to his chest. Then, as if in unison, they looked up and saw death.

At first it was nothing but shadows. This place had no ground, although they were sure standing on something, but it was black as black could get. There were no walls, no ceiling, no _air_ -It was nothing but shadows, and the cold. It prickled their skin immediately, made their hair stand on end. What was worse than the darkness was knowing that something was beyond it- _They_ were beyond it.

It was there, in the terribly frightening realization, that Jenny was going to have to face _them_. The ones from the stories around the fires, the ones behind this whole ritual. They were the ones who were going to take Summer, and if Jenny wanted to save her, she was going to have to face them. But no one ever _saw_ them-

Jenny wasn't ready for it. None of them were. Because as they got to their feet, holding Summer there as a piece of meat for trade of peace, it was the shadows that held the threat-their territory-their _power_. It was from the shadows that _they_ lived, they controlled. It was from the shadows that they arrived now.

Like a trick of the eye, the shadows moved, impossibly stretching forward through time, slow enough to hurt one's mind-dangerous enough to sicken one's soul. They came into shape slowly, carefully, appearing a good enough distance away to reveal that their size was not measurable-changeable, and definitely much, much larger than theirs. It was harsh, and cold, and _disgusting_ -

The first and most obvious feature to come into view were their eyes.

Even in the distance, their eyes came into focus like a drop of blood against a black rock. Such deep crimson, so vivid, so-so _cruel_. They were the eyes of monsters-of _demons_. Demons that took sacrifices and used them for God-knows what-that wanted to take Summer-

Jenny heard their laughs, from so many voices, more than the number of eyes she saw across this plane of darkness, and it was the type of laugh that sends a needle of fear piercing straight through one's core; the kind of laugh that no human could make, as cold as ice, as harsh as death. They got louder, more cruel, as the energy in the air, the power that was the shadows, started to swell toward them.

It was there, seeing their forms come into shape, coming closer, that Jenny's instincts sprung into action. She didn't know how this worked. She didn't know their power or this part of the routine. Any moment now they would take Summer. So Jenny did the only thing she could think of.

She shoved Summer into the arms of her father, and ran forward- _toward_ the demons. She got herself just enough space between them before she stopped, threw up her arms, and screamed.

"I volunteer to take her place!"

The shadows didn't stop moving. They continued to form and grow and advance. Although, the laughing did stop. It took another mind-numbing minute for them to come into view, and once they did, everything in Jenny rejected the image before her eyes as reality.

The creatures before them all were monstrous. They stood as tall as the trees, with the shadows as their skin, covered in some black haze that drifted about them all eerily. Only heads and arms were made out from the shadows, but none of them had _faces_. Instead, different disfigured parts were shown. Hooves for hands, horns on the head-Jesus, one had half the head of a goat. They were all different, but equal in disgust. So far, five of them had come into view, towering over the three of them like ants in this manifestation of space and time and darkness.

The energy-the dark power in the air-continued to grow, in a silent, deadly threat. So Jenny repeated herself, louder. "I-I, Jenny Thorton, volunteer to take Summer Parkson's place for the ritual."

"Jenny!"

Jenny heard Summer's scream, but it was such a painful noise; she didn't want to look at her best friend; the only one close enough to be her sibling, in the face. Not now. Instead, she looked forward. She stared at the group of demons across from her. She didn't let herself be scared. She _couldn't_. No, she had to be strong. For Summer. To convince these-these monsters to let Summer go.

And take her instead.

Oh, the fear was great, but Jenny was surprised at how well she stood her ground, kept her chin high. She didn't know what she was expecting in response. What she hadn't expected was to have a massive part of the shadows come hurtling toward her. It took everything in her not to flinch as the shape came out from the shadows, as if manifesting out of the air, directly in front of her. It came in one, fluid motion. The shadows, moved, stretched as they came at her, then it was no longer just a shape, but a man.

 **No** , he wasn't a man. He only looked like a man.

He wasn't disfigured like the others, or had a body made of darkness like those behind him. No, this demon had a body like hers-two arms, two legs, and a head. Only this man was-was…. _beautiful._ As terribly odd as it seemed, that was the only word for it. His hair was a shocking white, contrasting from all the shadows around him, and so soft-like freshly fallen snow on the first day of winter. His face was so sculpted, features so grand, so mesmerizing, that Jenny was searching and finding something new every time she blinked. And his eyes-

No human had eyes like that. So blue-Impossibly blue. Bluer than the sky, than water. The only thing Jenny had ever seen blue like that, was when one of the diggers brought back a stone from a trip outside the village. A blue so deep that it was miraculous. Only this man's eyes were bluer than that. Wide, vibrant, impossible blue eyes-

-that were staring right into her.

He must have merged from the shadows at a great speed because by the time he was fully there, to Jenny's view, he came to a quick stop directly before her, leaving a fraction of space between their bodies. Jenny was shocked to a still point, the surprise only registering through the widening of her eyes as she took him in, unable to look away-to blink-to _breathe_.

But she couldn't. He was so abrupt, so close, so-so _much_ , that Jenny was left there, in his space, in his utter control. The strange thing was, he seemed as stuck as she was. He stood there, as rigid and _shocked_ as she was. He didn't reach for her. He didn't even say anything. He merely looked at her, at every inch of her, as if she was something...he had never seen before. He was staring into her so _deeply_ , Jenny feared he was seeing into her mind-to her thoughts-her **fears** -

No. She wasn't afraid. She straightened her back, held her composure as his gaze alone carved her out from the inside. He stood there for so long, taking her in, searching her, examining her like she was some rare, fine specimen that even a demon like himself could not believe that she was truly right there before his eyes.

Jenny didn't know how long they stood like that for, sharing each other's breath, resting in each other's gaze, before he finally spoke. His voice came out so elemental, so rich but so hushed that it tingled all of Jenny's senses. Quietly, he said, "I accept your exchange."

Too many thoughts happened for Jenny to sort through. The fact that he spoke english at all, that he looked like a person, that he accepted her for Summer's place. She couldn't tell if she was afraid or relieved or a terrible combination of both. Before she could figure it out, another voice spoke from the shadows. A much older, colder voice.

"No," it rumbled.

Instantly, the man's face before her changed. Like a switch, his trance was gone, replaced by a fury so strong that it was palpable. He didn't move from his spot, but Jenny did see his body tense as his gaze flickered off to the side.

"It is _my_ turn for the-"

"Silence, boy!" A different voice interrupted him, coming out in a high hiss.

Jenny watched as the demon in the middle, parallel to her across the room, seemed to grow taller. He came forward, became clearer, and somehow Jenny knew that this one was the leader of them all. He looked like a bag of bones wrapped in the oldest leather, stretched taut over his skull, with no eyes, but vast empty sockets. There was a kink in its neck before the shadows of its body were there, leaving him gazing down upon Jenny in a terribly horrifying angle. In its surprisingly normal hand was a staff, made of very old, twined wood, while its other was something like a paw of some beat, massive, with sharp claws and rotting skin. The mere thought of that hand touching her was enough to make her knees go weak.

But the boy was still before her, still in her space. Jenny had to look over his shoulder, to meet this Elder's gaze as he came closer, bringing all the shadows and power in the air with him. He came to a stop somewhere in space behind the boy, just enough to make Jenny's head tilt back to look up at his non-existent eyes.

When he spoke, it was slow, and deep, like the precision of carving something complex with an icicle. "Your people," he began to Jenny, "have made a contract with us. That one chosen will be given to us...without complexities-"

"Take me instead," Jenny heard herself say. It was bizarre, to think she had just interrupted a demon, and in such a sharp tone. She quickly added, "Please."

"Jenny, _no_." The sob was so pathetic that it immediately brought forth a wave of laughter from the shadows, exposing all the demons that had yet to show their face. The only one not to laugh was the man still planted in front of Jenny.

He finally moved, too fast. Jenny flinched when he abruptly moved around her, stepping to the side of her. He was still examining her, hands behind his back, as he slowly circled her, looking over every inch of her while the others laughed and laughed. Jenny had to force herself to stay still, to face forward to the Elder that was speaking to her again.

"Why," he asked in such a deep voice, "should we take you? She seems... _fun_."

Jenny didn't want to think about that-to evaluate their definition of fun. "I'll go willingly," she tried to explain. "I won't fight you."

"Actually," the boy's voice surprised her, coming from just over her right shoulder. She felt his body, the cold from it just on the verge of touching her as his lips whispered right into her ear, "We do like a good fight."

Oh, _God_.

But Jenny ignored the sinking in her gut, and instead, she looked to the demon, meeting his gaze directly. Oh it was terribly unnerving to look a demon in the eyes from this close, especially a demon that looked like a man and knowing he was anything but. "Good," she snapped tensely, "because you're _not_ taking her."

There was a slight pause where the boy held her gaze, and Jenny refused to break it, no matter what the consequences foretold. And yet, the boy smiled at her, but it was a smile no human could ever bare. It was a smile of the devil-so evil-so _hungry_.

There were a few more chuckles from the others, and it was in their spite that Jenny realized begging was not going to work. Her people didn't just ask them nicely to go away. No, they said they made a contract. If these demons were cruel, then Jenny was going to have to summon every ounce of strength she had to win this debate.

Thus, she stomped forward, proving her place. "Summer's like that of a child-She won't last till nightfall. Whatever you may do to me, I promise I will last longer-"

"Jenny!"

"And I won't stop fighting you until my last breath. "

They didn't laugh at that, but the four visible others in the background did move about, trading places with one another, whispering back and forth in such quiet voices, as if confused by the situation. The Elder above her did not say anything at first. It merely stared down at her, trapping her where she stood her ground at his mercy. Even the boy had said nothing, but Jenny could feel him behind her, still so close, eyes running over her body like clawed hands.

Finally, a deep voice rumbled from the darkness, "It seems….that a _game_ is in order."

Jenny didn't understand when all of the demons agreed, humming in approval and snickering devilishly. It was when the Elder straightened himself, growing even taller than Jenny thought possible, and said, "Yes, a game," that the others went into an uproar. It was a chaotic mix of laughs and scowls and animalistic shrieks. Jenny had to cover her ears from it.

It only stopped when the Elder stabbed its staff into the ground that didn't exist, sending a powerful shock through the atmosphere. The silence that followed was much worse. Jenny was waiting for him to explain, but surprisingly, it was the boy who spoke next.

"We'll have you fight," he said slowly from behind her while he walked around her, finishing the circle he had started. "Play our games...And if you win, then we will accept you as the sacrifice." He faced her at that last part, practically purring the words at her, still with that devilish smile on his lips.

Jenny was stuck in his gaze again, unable to look away even though the Elder was adding. "And if you lose," his voice rumbled the shadows, "then we will take you _both_."

Jenny couldn't choke back the gasp in time, still in the boy's gaze, but she didn't look away-didn't blink. No, she stood there, feeling her strength leave her as fast as it had come, as every demon began to laugh in unison-such a cold, unforgiving laugh.

The boy, oddly enough, did look away. His gaze, as well as his smile, dropped to the floor.

The next sob from behind finally made Jenny look. Summer's father had his daughter in his arms, cradling her head, shielding her from the sight. He was the one to look Jenny in the eyes, and Jenny could see the relief, the fear, and the guilt he held. The relief that Jenny had been the one to take Summer's place, and the guilt of father of doing nothing about it, and the fear that his daughter wasn't safe just yet.

No, Jenny hadn't done it. She hadn't taken Summer's place. Not yet. All she did was put herself in the line of fire because if she lost this game, then both her and Summer would be taken as sacrifices. But if she won, then Summer was free. Either way, they got someone. Either way, Jenny had doomed herself. Realizing this, jenny looked back to the group of laughing demons to find the boy looking back at her. He was smiling again, but this one was different-not as vile, but much more haughty.

He was holding out his hand to her, like a gentleman wanting to introduce himself. Of course Jenny was afraid to take it. Even though he wasn't disfigured, he was still one of them nonetheless, standing before her like some beautiful devil with a chorus of laughter about him. But Jenny took it anyway, forced herself to put her hand in his, expecting anything but a handshake from it.

Yet, this demon of a man, this Prince of Darkness, slowly bent down, and gave the back of her fingers the softest of kisses. Immediately, Jenny felt the world leave her-how quickly the dizziness overcame her. She was passing out, all the shadows consuming her, soul, body and mind, with that horrific voice of the Elder echoing her fall into unconsciousness.

"Good luck, girl…."

Jenny saw something horrible.

She saw her grandfather, with those markings, and a terrible, terrible pain that left her five year old self screaming and crying on the floor-

The nightmare broke from Jenny with a deep gasp, from the bottom of her lungs. She jumped awake, sitting up so fast that it took her eyes a minute to adjust to the world around her. When they finally did, she had to blink hard, just to be sure. Once, twice.

She was in the forest. But...how? When?

Right, she passed out. She...made a deal with the demons. To protect Summer-the **game** -

But Jenny didn't see any of the demons around her, nor Summer nor her father for that matter. All that was around her now were the endless rows of tall, skinny pale trees, and the shadows that filled the spaces between. The forest floor was tough beneath her, only cushioned by a thin layer of dead leaves and pine needles. There were no bushes, no flowers. There were no sounds of birds or little woodland creatures. Only the wind rustling the branches above her and the pounding of her heart in her chest.

Jenny was still in her nightgown, allowing the cold to seep up her exposed arms and the small space above her ankles. It was thin, too, and definitely not something for a lady to be wearing midday, in the forest, alone, with no shoes without her hair combed or put back, in a game of _demons_.

Jenny felt herself sway as the nausea hit her, the fear, the horrible realization of what she had gotten herself into-She was dreaming. That's right. This was all some horrible, long, traumatizing nightmare. Yet, Jenny felt the cuts on the bottom of her feet, their soreness from running through the wheat fields last night, and that hot strike of pain proved that theory wrong. Jenny was very much awake, and alive. For now.

Something moved. Behind her, a rustle of leaves, quick, almost unnoticeable. But Jenny heard it nonetheless and she whirled around, only to find shadows. And more shadows, and more there. There was nothing around her; at least nothing she could see anyway. With that horrible thought came the realization that Jenny had no idea what this game _was_. What kind of games do demons play? They said she was going to fight-fight what? What was she supposed to do? She couldn't lose. She _couldn't_. For Summer, for Summer's father and mother, for her own parents and Tom-

Jenny shut that thought down before it could fully come to her. She wasn't going to think of them. She wasn't going to panic. No, she was going to win. She just...needed to figure out how.

So Jenny started walking. Without any real clear sense of direction, she started moving between the trees. With no kind of fire for a light or a wrap to shield her from the cold winds racing through the trees, or without a single idea of what could be out in these woods-No, don't think about that.

Oh, but it was so hard not to. No one came into these woods. No one ever came from these woods, and here Jenny was, made her own bargain with these demons, in their territory, with no knowledge of this place or what they could do. Jenny was constantly looking around her, for something to move, to see a light, anything really. However, the farther she walked, the more her fear grew. Yet, she couldn't tell which was worse; the fear that'd she wouldn't find anything out here, or that she would.

The noise came again, behind her, scuttering through the dead leaves of the forest floor. Jenny turned after the noise, but again there was nothing. Not even a shift in the shadows, or obvious footprints in the floor. Jenny couldn't tell if her eyes were just playing tricks on her or if there was a slight fog layering just above the ground, swirling around at her feet. The longer she stared, the harder it was to tell the difference between the floor and the shadows and everything, really.

Keep walking, she told herself.

She kept moving, walking a bit faster now. She thought about a fire, perhaps she could build one like she always saw her father do if she found some dry twigs or leaves; but everything was damp here, and cold. So very cold.

The noise came again, but louder. Jenny wanted to ignore it, pretend it wasn't there. But she didn't know anything of this game or this forest or these demons. When the noise came again, Jenny turned after it, just in time to see some leaves being kicked up into the air not but five feet away. She almost gasped. So something _was_ moving out there, unless her eyes had deceived her.

But she heard it again, only somewhere far in the forest. Then again, behind her. The thing, whatever it was, was moving around her, impossibly fast. It had to be jumping off the trees or something because one moment it sounded behind her, then the next in front of her, then very far off, then right beside her-

Jenny started running. Carefully, holding up the ends of her nightgown, watching where she was going, she moved without thinking. But the thing was there, sounding right behind her, following her, _faster_ than her. Jenny could hear it so clearly now, the galloping of its feets, the weight of its massive body as it bounded off the ground with each jump. She didn't need to look to see it. She feared what she'd see, how close it would be-

Something jerked in the corner of her eye, too close to identify. Jenny didn't mean to shriek at it, but she jumped away. She caught herself on a tree and threw herself aside. Yet, of course, when she looked back, where she just was, the stillness of the forest was her answer yet again. She could only stand there for a moment, catching her breath, eyes darting around everywhere-nowhere. There was nothing.

Of course there wasn't. They were demons. They wanted nothing more than to torture her-terrify her into a running, frantic panicking mess so that she would lose this game. And that wasn't happening.

"Would you like some help?"

Jenny almost screamed.

She spun around so fast that she stumbled. The boy-The demon was there, with his shockingly white hair and surreal blue eyes. He was wearing something odd, Jenny realized with a quick thought that she hadn't really noticed what he was wearing before, back when she first saw him, only that he had been dressed in black. But the shock of his sudden appearance, leaning against one of the trees, made Jenny notice that he was wearing a pair of black pants that hugged his hips tightly. He had on a black vest as well, that exposed the smoothness of his collarbone, and the devel of hips. The way he had his arms crossed like that exposed such large muscles, under beautifully pale skin-unmarred-perfect.

He was smiling at her so haughty that Jenny heaved out her shock in a scoff. She didn't know what to make of his appearance at first. She quickly searched around her, for some sort of explanation, but again her only response was the silence of the forest. There was nothing out there-Except this boy-This demon, who owned this forest.

She quickly turned, to leave, but when she did, the boy was there, leaning on a different tree. Jenny held her gasp back pretty well, but she felt the shock in the widening of her eyes, from the fact that he suddenly appeared in a new spot so quickly. He was in the same position, leaning against a tree, with his arms and ankles crossed, and that arrogant smirk on his face. He seemed pleased by her surprise because his smile only widened.

Thus she snapped, "L-Leave me alone." She really wish she had sounded tougher on that, but her thoughts were in shambles.

"Oh," he said coolly, "but you don't want me to, love."

The sweet name struck something odd in Jenny. No one called her anything like that, not even her parents. Hearing it from a demon was unnerving, and to have him say _that_ -

"Shut up," she said, and she knew it was rude. Jenny was never rude. She always respected her Elders, never broke the rules. But, Hell, she had already broken plenty of those today, and it was only common knowledge that one wasn't nice to demons. So she spoke sterner toward him, snapping, "You can't get in my way. That's cheating."

"We never cheat," he said simply as he came off the tree. "We actually play quite fairly, by all the rules. You just have to find it."

He took a step toward her and Jenny immediately took two steps back. He took notice of this, eyes flickering to her bare feet before returning her gaze with a slight change in his smile. Jenny ignored it. She had to.

"F-Find what?" she dared to ask.

"The rule." He then started advancing on her, step after step, slow enough to watch her realize it-to see the panic in her eyes. She started backpedaling away, taking equal amounts if not more steps than him to keep the distance between them. All the while, he explained, "There's a rule to each of these rounds, you know. You must find out what it is, and solve it. Only then will you move onto the next round."

Jenny understood that, like a complex game of Clerk and Thieves that the children play in the market. She inevitably cringed at the realization that there would be more than one round of this torture. "And-" her voice broke when she stumbled into a tree, making her jump away from it to keep the space between them, but he turned after her, still walking towards her, with his hands politely behind his back, one slow step at a time. "There will be a new rule for the next round?"

"Yes," he answered smoothly. "If you win those rounds, you will win the game. I must warn you though; it will not be any easy task and the rounds will only get harder as you go."

Jenny was trying to fix her stumble, to move smoother while she was walking backwards, keeping her gaze with this demons who watched her so intently. "Then what's the rule fo-for this round?"

"I told you. You have to find it. I cannot tell you."

Well, Jenny should have seen that coming. "Then why are you here? If you're not _cheating_ -" Then it hit her, making her feet stop with the terrible realization that made her eyes go wide. "You're distracting me."

Surprisingly, the boy stopped when she did, glancing up and down her body once more before asking, "Why do you think that?"

"Because you are. You just want me to lose."

His smile changed then-too dastardly for Jenny to comprehend. Then he was moving toward her again, too fast for Jenny to react in time. Jenny stumbled away, only this time, she hit a thicker tree, and the boy was on her before she could get away. He stopped inches before her, back in her breathing space just as they were only minutes ago-or was it hours? Jenny had to press herself against the tree, to keep her chin up and her fists ready at her sides to defend herself if he tried anything-

Yet, he didn't. He merely looked her over, breathed her in, with eyes brighter than the stars that shined on the darkest nights. "On the contrary, love," he purred in a voice as elemental as water over rocks. "I'm the only one who wants you to win."

Jenny didn't have to question that aloud. It was said all in her gaze, how her eyebrows pinched together in a confused scowl. This demon of a man stared at her for a moment longer, before his gaze flickered down from her eyes. When Jenny realized where he was looking, at her lips, and from such a short distance, the heat swelled in her cheeks. He saw it-She knew he did, because then he smiled much wider, before he turned away.

"You see," he began to explain as he slowly moved away from her, "every time your people perform that ritual, one of _us_ gets to keep that sacrifice. They become ours, and we do as we please with them. Every cycle is a new Shadow Men's turn. This time…" he faced her again, only from a few steps away now, giving Jenny room to breathe-to process. He finished with his eyes pressing down on Jenny tightly, "Was my turn."

Oh.

Jenny now understood two things just from this moment. For one, she knew how an animal must feel under the gaze of its predator, and two, that this demon before her had leverage. And that just made him all the more dangerous.

When he approached her again, it was a lot slower than before, and Jenny held her ground this time, keeping her chin high and her gaze with his as he invaded her space once more. "If you lose, you will go to my Ancestors, and I will get your feeble little friend. But if you win…."

With each word, Jenny felt the pressure building between her lungs, compressing her breaths, her thoughts. When his voice trailed off, right as he stepped into her space, Jenny felt it burst. She jumped off the tree, away from him, but he turned after her, predatory gaze back on her lips, following her as she moved away.

"You will be mine," he finally finished in such a deep voice that rumbled in Jenny's eardrums more than she feared. "And I want you, love. So very much."

"I-I don't believe you," Jenny said, as he finally stopped walking toward her. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't." He said it so simply, with that tiny smirk on his lips, that Jenny felt the fear creeping back up her spine. "But I am the only help you're going to get. So I suggest you trust me, Jenny."

Oh no.

The way he said her name, it sent a shiver down Jenny's back, tingling her skin in such a way-a feeling Jenny never felt before.

"I can't _trust_ you," she snapped. "You're a demon. I'm playing against you-"

"Are you cold?"

The question surprised Jenny. Especially when the man raised his eyebrows in such an insinuating manner. He motioned his head for her arm, which was covered in goosebumps. Of course, Jenny didn't have to answer. She only scowled and rubbed her arm a few times to will away the cold. She was going to say something, or perhaps walk away to end this pointless conversation, until he asked, "Would you like a coat?"

He pulled the thing from behind his back, but it was _impossible_. The coat was as long as he was, and definitely thicker than his lean waist. There was no way he had that behind his back this whole time; she had seen his back just a second ago-He plucked it from the _air_.

Jenny knew her eyes were bugging out of her head, but she couldn't help it. Besides that, the coat was...beautiful. Unlike any of the coats in her village. This one was shaded blue, with very coarse fur lining, and what was most likely very nice sheepskin for the inside. But this coat had more than one button going up the front, and holes on the sides-No, _pockets._ There were details in the lining and a design sewn on the waist. A very high-quality jacket indeed.

Jenny heard herself ask, "How did you...?"

The boy smiled so wide now that his teeth were bared. "Does it surprise you? I can make anything. Even places, all with a single thought."

The boy then held it out to her, like it was the simplest thing in the world to just take it.

"You can have it," he said, then drew the coat back to himself, "for a price."

Of course.

Jenny let out a breath, which was slightly visible from the chill in the air. "You're messing with me," she sighed.

"Only because I adore how bright your eyes get when you're angry." Jenny really wasn't ready for that answer, especially when he continued like it was a part of a story he had read over and over. "Their deep, sensual shade goes as light as limes when you're angry. It's fascinating to watch,how they shine with fury."

Jenny didn't want to think on that-to try and understand the odd tingle she felt from it. "I don't have any currency, nor the time for this. I have a game to win."

Once again, she turned to leave, only to find the boy in front of her, in a new spot. He was leaning against the closest tree to her, holding the coat in his hands, running his fingers down the soft blue pelt.

"Of course you do," he countered smoothly, "but do you truly believe you will finish in one piece wearing that?"

Jenny didn't let him undermine her, no matter how vulnerable she felt in her nightgown. "And how is a mere coat going to help me?"

"Trust me," he said in a much calmer tone. "It will."

Oh, Jenny didn't like this. The way he spoke to her, how deceiving he was. She never expected the demons that tortured her village to be like this; this cunning, this convincing.

"And I'm a Shadow Man, Jenny," he added. "I don't want your currency."

He said it again-that name. Jenny didn't think demons had names or titles, even. She didn't think they'd look like people either, or offer her _help_. With that thought, she realized they had no use for money either. No, they took people, lives, fear, that's what they used.

Jenny couldn't read into his smile. She couldn't decode his actions, making her very wary on whether or not she should even answer him. One thing she did know, however, was that it was probably wise not to try and trick him, even if his offer to help was most likely a lie.

So she spoke honestly, but sternly. "I'm not going to ask you what you want, if that's what you're expecting. If you want to help me, why don't you just tell me the rules yourself?"

"Because that would be cheating," he answered simply. "And I'm not allowed to cheat so much as you are. I will tell you, however, that you have a time limit for each round."

 **That** sparked the fear right through Jenny, making her body slump with an anxious exhale. She was almost about to run, to stop wasting her time, but her knees went weak-too weak. She felt ready to fall.

"I can also tell you," the boy went on. "That we can see everything you do. Everything you're thinking, everything you fear, your own memories. Even memories...you don't recall, yourself."

Oh, the regret washed over Jenny so fast that she was surprised she didn't fall into a heap on the ground right then and there. But she remained standing, unfortunately, before this demon in this terrible, terrible land, with other demons watching her every move-everything she thought-even her worst fears-

How was she supposed to win? How was she supposed to get around their tricks if they were going off of everything she was doing?

"You see, Jenny…" The boy's voice came to Jenny almost in an echo, deep and mesmerizing. It inevitably drew her gaze up, where he was closer, slowly closing in on her there, with eyes as blue as the sky right before the sun disappears over the mountains. He spoke softly, almost in a whisper, just for Jenny's ears only, as if keeping the words from the forest around them from hearing. "I know exactly what's going to happen in this game. What my Ancestors have planned for you, what you're going to see… I can provide you just enough _information_ , to get you through them. You don't have to trust me, but even so, you have so much more to lose. Am I wrong?"

Jenny understood. She knew what he was saying. That either way Jenny was doomed, but it wasn't her life she was fighting for. In that regard, she had everything to lose. She didn't know anything of this game, or of these demons' nature. If she wanted to save Summer, she needed to win. And to win, she needed to know. Which meant, whether or not this demon just wanted to trick her, to make things harder, she had no other chances of winning.

Jenny saw it, the confirmation in his mystical eyes, knowing she really had no other choice. Thus, with a deep breath, Jenny reached out and touched the coat. The boy's smile stretched from ear to ear, wickedly pleased.

The thing really was as soft as it looked, surprising Jenny upon its touch. The only thing soft like this was from the sheep in the fields, which Jenny rarely got to touch, but this was softer-ran smoother under her fingers. With what little light there was, the coat even gave a beautiful blue gleam, making her mind reel at what animal could possibly have fur that color. Jenny was staring at it, still hesitating upon truly taking it. Yet, the boy pulled it away.

"Allow me," he said politely, then moved around her, opening the coat for her like a...gentleman.

Jenny hesitated _greatly_ , but eventually opened her arms out to her sides where the demon carefully slipped the coat over her arms. He did it gently, without so much as touching her with his own skin. He allowed her to slip one arm in first, then the next. As Jenny shrugged her shoulders into the larger jacket, the boy ran his hands down her back, smoothing the fur in an almost reassuring gesture. Being dressed by a man she knew was anything but human was more unnerving than she thought. The sudden warmth and comfort of the coat, however, shielded a bit of her fear.

"I must be a fool," she breathed to herself as she wrapped her arms around herself once the coat was on.

She felt the boy's hand still on her back, where it remained even as he stepped aside her, close enough where his chest grazed her shoulder.

"My dear Jenny, I have seen plenty of fools in my time. You do not even compare."

Jenny didn't know how to feel about that. She didn't want to know. All she wanted to know was this game, and what she was going to have to do. So she didn't turn away from this demon. In fact, she faced him more accurately, meeting his gaze as strongly as she could when her heart was fluttering in her chest.

"So am I supposed to wander this forest until something tries to kill me?"

This man's smile was back, gentle but amused. "Or until something greets you." His face lit up in the next second, like a child who just remembered something wonderful. He removed the hand from her back and rose his finger in a very matter-of-fact way. "Did you know in some cultures, it is considered rude to make eye contact with someone unless given permission?"

Jenny let that thought simmer in her head for a moment. She wasn't unsettled just from the fact that she hadn't known this, considering Jenny knew nothing of other lives or villages outside her own; but from the fact of why he had even bothered mentioning it. Then again, she knew nothing of the temper and logic of demons.

Yet he shrugged that off before Jenny could even question it, and he turned away from her. "I'll save the story on that for another time. Perhaps... _after_ this game."

It was the way he looked back at her over his shoulder, with a gaze so _salacious,_ that Jenny was hit with the realization of her actions; that if she did win, if she did go to this demon, to what he would do to her-

She was staring at his back in shock as all the possible images came to her mind, wild, and terrifying thoughts, but they all died instantly when something ruptured behind her.

The ground shook so hard that Jenny fell, having to catch herself on the nearest tree. The tremors were followed by a noise so inhuman, so _animalistic_ that Jenny felt her blood drain to her toes. She whipped her head around so fast that something in her neck kinked. She couldn't see the beast, but it was crystal clear. The thing, whatever it was, was large, wild, and utterly enraged.

Jenny looked back to the demon, to demand he explain what it was, but he was gone. His disappearance shouldn't have surprised Jenny considering his sudden appearance had first shocked her. But she didn't have time to think about it because the ground trembled again. The beast roared again, and this time a flock of birds came fleeing from a tree behind Jenny in fear.

Jenny ran in the same direction the birds did.

It came up on her fast, the ground-breaking with each of its bounding steps. It was like the whole earth tremble in each step, making Jenny stumble again and again. Too soon, the breaks between each bound got shorter; the beast was getting faster. Jenny tried to run faster, but it was impossible when the trembling got worse. The growling was behind her now, close enough to be heard, fierce, sharp. The next pound into the Earth was too much, harsh enough to knock a tree right out of the ground, and Jenny's instincts kicked her in the rear.

She dove behind the nearest tree, which wasn't nearly as thick enough as she needed it to be.

There was one more ground-breaking pound into the Earth, before it stopped. Jenny immediately covered her mouth to stifle her gasps for breath. It was right there. Just a few feet behind her. She could hear each of its massive huffs for breath. Each growl echoed in her mind, trembled in the air. She could feel its rage from behind the tree, so palpable that it was choking her.

The beast shuffled around, inhaling sharply-sniffing. It was _looking_ for her.

Jenny held back the whimper in her throat. The only angry animal she ever dealt with was a dog that didn't like to be petted. Horses would freak out sometimes and the chickens always ran from her. In fact, animals never really liked her, but a beast-a monster-Jenny had never faced one. She had heard tales of the beasts, other than the demons, that ventured from the forest, but Jenny had always brushed them off.

Now she could feel the weight of the beast every time it hit the ground. It growled, snarled, then swiped at a tree, nearly exploding the trunk into splinters. The shock made Jenny flinch, but she held back her cry.

There was a clearing in the woods ahead of her, a space in the thrush with just enough light to see, but the path to it was cloaked in shadows. And if she moved, if the beast saw her-

Jenny couldn't help herself. Slowly, impossible slow, Jenny peeked her head around the tree.

The beast was unlike anything Jenny had ever seen. Larger than a horse-than two horses combined, with paws as large as a traveler's wagon and a head the size of a shack. It was covered in a fur that was blacker than coal, but it was missing in pieces, as if it was shedding; there were bald spots all over the creature, and it was-

Bloody. The creature was covered in blood. It matted its fur, dripped from its claws. When it swiveled its large head to the side, she could see its face was scrunched up, with little nubs for ears, a black nose, and teeth-no, those were _jaws_ ; a mouth so massive that it could swallow her whole-

Jenny didn't realize she gasped aloud until the creature whipped its head around, finding her instantly-staring her right in the eyes immediately.

She didn't get the chance to even try and hide from it. The beast pounced on her tree, swiping for her with such ginormous claws. Jenny dove away with a scream as the tree was ripped up from the ground, but she then she was running, for the clearing. Yet, she barely made it halfway before the she felt the bounds of the beast behind her-there was nothing for her to hide behind-she wouldn't make it to the line of trees in time-

Jenny jumped back. She forced herself to change direction, throwing herself in full-sprint off to the side. She heard the beast's commotion, clawing into the dirt to stop its momentum forward and throw itself after her. Oh it was fast. Jenny just barely reached the trees again when it swiped for her again. The bark exploded just behind her head.

There was a perfect space, almost like a trail that Jenny found stretched ahead of her. It was clear, wide enough for her to run through without ripping over anything-

-wide enough for the beast, too.

Jenny didn't look to see if that thought was accurate. She jumped back into the thick of the woods, through the trees that were more clustered together. She bobbed and weaved through the trunks, running as hard as she could. She ignored the burn in her lungs. She ignored the pain striking against her bare feet. She just kept running, anything to throw the beast off her. The entire time Jenny waited for the thing to jump on her. It was massive, there was no way she could outrun it forever. And yet it stayed behind her, constantly on her heels.

It was only when Jenny looked back at it over her shoulder that it reached her. As soon as she met its gaze, the beast lurched forward, snapping its jaws right for her.

The heat sliced up the back of her leg, making Jenny scream and stumble. Yet, she caught herself on a tree and forced herself to throw herself forward just as the beast jumped on it. The tree came crashing down, her leg was on _fire_ , but Jenny kept running.

Finally Jenny saw her chance. Two trees, grown too close together that they sprouted up into a V. They were large, thick, and just barely enough space for someone to fit through. A child perhaps, but a woman like Jenny-

She didn't have a choice.

Jenny mustered the last of her strength and charged for the trees. With the bounds of the beast just on her heels again, she took a deep breath and launched herself through the trees. She landed horribly, the gash on her calf making her leg go out on her instantly. She crashed into the ground at the same time as she heard the beast slam into the tree. Jenny had to scramble for a grip on the ground in order to stop herself and by the time she did, she realized she didn't hear the tree collapse.

The beast was stuck. Its massive girth of a head was between the two trees, fur torn and bloody around the cheeks where it had forced itself through. It looked like a poor dog that got its head stuck in the sheep fence last year. It swiped at the trees pathetically, clawing through the bark like tissue paper, back legs digging into the dirt to try and pry itself free.

For a moment Jenny could only stare at the beast. As she sat there and caught her breath she realized she had beaten it. She must have. It was clearly stuck. It didn't get her. She _won._ That thought was enough to make her smile in relief.

That was until the beast looked at her again.

It was as if meeting her gaze spurred the beast with a surge of strength. With a good swipe of its claws and a twist of its head, one of the trees snapped in half-freeing it-

Jenny tried to scramble back to her feet, but she couldn't look away from the monster. She stared at it as it tore its way free, then charged right for her. Jenny got to her feet, but the pain raced up her leg, making her stumble. There was a flash of something, a glint of light against metal that inevitably caught Jenny's eye amongst the chaos.

A blade. A short knife similar to the ones she used in the kitchen. It fell from her pocket, she saw it-Right there at her feet-

All she saw the blur of matted fur before the weight slammed her in the gut.

It knocked her right off her feet, so easily, like swatting a fly out of the air. Her lower back hit the ground first, before she rolled and stopped by slamming into an unforgiving tree.

Jenny's back hit the tree, knocking her breath away, but she didn't even get the chance to recover from the pain because the beast was on her, growling just above her head, weight hovering over her entire body-Jenny froze. Barely in a sitting position, with her head down, body pressed tight to the tree. She didn't even breathe. It's jaws were right in front of her, teeth growling in her ear, horrible breath burning her eyes-

Don't look it in the eyes, she heard the Shepard's voice echoing in her head, scolding her when the dog had growled at her last week. Don't move. Look down. Just don't make eyes contact-

Eye-contact.

" _...eye-contact was considered rude unless given permission?"_

What the demon had said-Before, it had only swiped at her _after_ she looked at it. Right now, her eyes were on the ground. It was just snarling at her-teeth on the verge of pressing against her arm, threatening to bite her, but it wasn't. Jenny waited, truly honestly expected the beast to snap her arm off, but it was just standing there, its entire body over her.

If she looked up, would it kill her? Rip her throat open? Crush her skull between its jaws?

Jenny saw the glint of light again-The knife was just there, right behind the beats's paw. But it was impossible. She had seen it across the way, there was no way it got knocked over here with her-But it was, just in arm's reach.

The image of stabbing it, the thought of actually trying to-to _kill_ the thing- made something hot and sick churn in her gut. Jenny never harmed a thing in her life, except for swatting at bees when they got too close. She couldn't even be around the barns when it came to slaughtering hour. To have this beast chase her-to give her a knife-

They wanted her to hurt it. Hell, killing it could be impossible. They wanted her to stab it, to piss it off-But it was going to kill her-No, it was sitting there, growling against her. It gave a huff of disapproval and scratched its claws in the dirt, making Jenny flinch. It moved with her, pressing its jaws so close to her skin that she felt its drool-or the blood from something else-

Jenny had to open her eyes to will away those images, of what it could have killed, but she kept her gaze down, into the dirt. She waited, just a bit longer, and still the beast did not attack her.

Somehow, Jenny understood. That man-that demon-said there were rules-that they played fairly. Was that the rule? That it was rude to make eye contact with a furious beast-that making eye contact with it was its permission to attack? Oh it seemed impossible, to fight a beast simply by not looking at it, but then again so was pulling a coat out of thin air; so was the idea that a demon wanted to help her-

No, he wanted her to attack it. That's why he gave her the coat, with the knife in the pocket. But he told her about the eye-contact. Was he tricking her? God, she couldn't tell anymore.

What she did know was that he said they were watching her-that they could read into her better than she could herself. If that was the case, then Jenny was going to show them what she was made of. That whatever they saw inside her was nothing to what she could do.

Slowly, so slowly, Jenny lifted her arm.

The beast immediately opened its jaws, which made Jenny dig her head back into the tree harsh enough to hurt-But it didn't attack. It stayed there, teeth just on the verge of her skin. Jenny breathed, counted to three, then moved again. Just slightly, she picked the blade up off the ground. The beast growled, deeply-warning her.

Jenny made sure she had a good grip on the knife before she flung it as far as she could with as little movement as possible.

The beast roared at her and although jenny did jump, she didn't look at the beast. She closed her eyes, head back against the tree, and waited.

It felt like forever. Every second felt like minutes, minutes like hours. But Jenny didn't focus on that or the stench or the growling right in her face. She focused on her breathing, on the blood drying on her calf, and waited.

The beast stayed and growled in Jenny's face some more. It even gave a fierce shriek at one point, as if to make her jump or look its way-But she didn't. She remained still, patient, with her head and hands toward the ground.

Then just like that, after what seemed like ages, it gave a huff of disapproval, turned and walked away. It took Jenny a minute to fully accept that fact with the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears louder than the beast had, but once it cleared-Once the adrenaline died and Jenny heard nothing but silence, sweet cruel silence, she lifted her gaze.

Nothing but forest stretched before her. The relief was so overwhelming that Jenny collapsed on herself, bowing her head into the dirt with a silent whimper.


	2. Chapter 2

It took Jenny a bit to recover from that. For a while she sat there, reeling with shock on the forest floor, until the man's voice echoed back to her, about her limited time in this game, and Jenny was back on her feet.

She forced herself to keep walking, despite the high possibility of the beast returning, or anything else to jump out at her. But Jenny was ready, senses alert. She understood her game now. And judging by how simply the beast had just left her, she was assuming there was going to be more.

Thus when Jenny reached a small clearing in the thrush of the woods surrounding her in a perfect circle of trees, she stopped in the center and waited. She wasn't surprised by the voice this time.

"Beautifully done, love."

She turned and there he was, leaning on the nearest tree. Jenny was surprised, however, to find that his clothes were different. His pants were still as black as the shadows between the trees, but they were tighter, showing off the lean length of his legs, marked with rips in them from the knees down. His shirt was the opposite, a baggy white material that hung off his shoulders, but there were three black belts tied down his chest, cinching the shirt tight around his slender waist, giving just a peek at those sharp hips. Jenny might've questioned the strangeness of his outfit, if it weren't for the metal around his neck.

It was a simple chain somehow connected around his neck, with a ball of silver dangling just under his collar bone. Jenny had seen similar metal on machines, even in houses, but never on a person. It was so shiny, so strange that Jenny had to force herself to look away from it, back to the bright blue eyes staring down at her, just to focus.

"Thank you," Jenny got the words out, "But you didn't tell me about the blade."

He cocked his head to the side, making that metal around his neck catch on some light, catching Jenny's attention again. "That's because I didn't give it to you. My Ancestors did."

He took a step toward her then, making Jenny lose whatever she was about to say.

"Tell me," he added smoothly, "why didn't you defend yourself?"

Jenny had to think carefully on her answer. If he really was in her head like he said he was, wouldn't he already know that answer? If this really was a game, then Jenny needed to play her cards carefully.

"Because it would have been _rude_ ," she finally said firm and flat.

That made the demon before her smile wickedly again. Jenny didn't like the shiver it sent up her spine. She turned away from him.

"And my Ancestors said you wouldn't last one round."

Jenny couldn't help herself. She looked back to him. "What?"

"My Ancestors. Those terrifying creatures you so boldly stood against earlier." He stepped towards her again, making Jenny instantly square herself with him. He noticed the move, a flick downwards of his gaze, but his voice remained as soft as the coat around her shoulders. "They don't see the strength in you that I do."

Oh, that only confused her. She did her best to wrap her brain around that-No, she needed help. Forget his stupid compliments. Focus.

"What else did they say?"

"Things you would rather not hear."

The light caught the metal around his neck once more. Jenny must've been staring at it again because the man took notice, looked down at it, then back up at her.

"Do you like it?" he asked smoothly.

Jenny had to take a breath at the jump in topics. "I've never seen someone wear metal like that."

"All sorts of cultures wear items like this. They call it 'jewelry.'" In a simple motion, he pulled the chain off his neck and held it by a single finger at his side. "But," he added carefully, "it can only be worn if it matches the beauty of its owner."

He didn't even touch the piece of _jewlery_. He waved his free hand down in front of the metal, slowly, from end to end, and Jenny watched, amazed, as it changed right before her eyes. From a simple boring metal chain and ball, to string of gold, shiny and glimmering. The ball was now a rich green stone, raw and sharp and _stunning_.

Her eyes widened upon seeing it. She had to blink several times to make sure she was seeing things right. The jewelry was gorgeous, catching in the light even more than its previous version.

The demon seemed to enjoy her surprise because his smirk was wider. "There," he breathed as if in awe of his own work, then held it up to her like it was the most casual motion in the world. "May I?"

Jenny almost didn't get what he was asking at first, but as he began to walk around her-to place it around her neck-Jenny immediately stepped away. "W-Wait-What?"

"Do you dislike it?" He asked calmly, and although his head cocked to the side like he was confused, that smile still remained on his face, reminding Jenny of a wolf in sheep's clothing-a monster that looked like a human.

She didn't let him fool her. Even from such a short distance, she stared him down with as much strength as she could muster. "And what is that going to cost me? An arm?"

The demon barked a laugh at her. "So clever. But I assure you, Jenny, this won't make you lose anything. It's a gift."

"A gift?" Jenny questioned aloud, a term she never thought she'd hear from a demon. "But... _Why?_ "

"Take it as an apology." He stepped behind her again, but Jenny didn't move away from him this time. As much as she probably should not have, she stayed where she was and watched his hands with the jewelry come over her head. "I had intended to slip something else in your pockets last round, but my Ancestors traded it for a weapon."

"To make me attack that beast."

"Indeed."

Jenny could only stare as the beautiful stone was gently laid across her collar. It was heavy and cold to the touch, sending shivers up her neck with a delighted sigh. Once the demon clasped it together officially around her neck, Jenny had to reach up and touch it, to actually believe such a gorgeous item was really there-was really hers.

It was when he spoke again that Jenny realized with a spark of fear in her gut that he hadn't moved away. Unlike last time after he gave her the coat, he remained behind her making his voice come right into her ear, hushed, exalted. "I could give you so much more than this, Jenny. Even things you've never dreamed of-from worlds beyond your own. I can give you anything. All you have to do is ask."

Oh God-

Jenny couldn't move. God help her she should have moved away long before this-shouldn't had accepted this gift because now she was trapped, right before him, unable to see what he was going to do next as he whispered such-such impossible things-

Jenny didn't know what to say-if she should say anything at all. She was stuck just standing there, taking a minute to actually processed what he just said-what he was _offering_ -

"W-Why," the words finally choked out, "would you...?"

"I told you, I want you. I've wanted you for a very long time."

Then he did what Jenny feared. He touched her.

Just his hand laid gently on her shoulder, and although it was just on the coat, Jenny felt like his touch physically shocked her. And for the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to move away from it.

"I've waited for you longer than that mortal boy knew you even existed," he said, hushed and _impossible_ , but then he added louder, firmer, "Never thought you would come running in offering yourself right to me."

Jenny had to look at him. As wrong as it must've been to face him in a situation like this-a conversation like this-she had to; to look him in those mystical eyes and really process what he was saying-who he was talking about. Once she did, she fell a step away from him.

"How do you…?"

"Know about him?" he finished for her, with the smirk lingering on his lips. "I told you. I see everything you do. I've been watching you. I have been for years."

"What do you mean you _watched_ me?" Jenny sneered, embarrassment filling her voice with fire. "I've never come near these woods in my life."

"Are you so sure?" he asked and Jenny felt her stomach sink.

Something flashed behind her eyes, something horrible and bloody and she pushed it away as fast as it had come up.

The demon man went on, like it was natural. "We are Shadow Men. We live in the shadows. We walk in them, see through them. I saw you a long time ago when you were just a pretty little girl, and haven't taken my eyes off you since."

"You're lying," Jenny snapped, but there was no edge to her voice, making it small, weaker than she wanted-needed it to be. She shook her head, finishing, "That's impossible-You live in the woods, under spells."

At that, the demon rolled his eyes. "Oh, Jenny, really. Your village knows nothing of us. There was only one man who knew what we could do." Suddenly, there was a cold twist to his voice. It changed just the slightest bit, enough to make the air around them drop in temperature; the kind of voice that people have nightmares about. Suddenly hearing it, at what he said, made the hairs on the back of Jenny's neck come to a stand. "He learned the truth twelve years ago, on the night of a full moon, a night that he was supposed to be alone… Isn't that right?"

Jenny knew. God help her she didn't want to, but she knew what he meant. She knew the day he was talking about, the person he was describing twelve years ago, but as fast as the memory came up again, the dark behind her eyes swallowed it. No, she didn't think about that day. She didn't remember. She _didn't_.

But this demon did. He knew. Jenny could tell that the cruelty in his voice, the sharp light in his eyes could only come from someone who was there that night-that knew what she refused to remember. The thought of that, the realization that a demon had been watching her _all her life_ , brought on a whole new level of intimacy that Jenny did not like. The jewelry around her neck felt too tight now, like a collar, and she wanted nothing more than to rip it off.

He had been there for how long? Since she was born? How much did he see? How much did he _see_?

The embarrassment must've been obvious on her face because the corner of his mouth pulled up in amusement. Like a switch, his voice was back to its elemental tone, mystical, gentle. "There's no need to be embarrassed. I'm fascinated by everything you do. Besides, it'll make no difference. Once you're mine."

Oh that came out so dark, too dark for Jenny to handle. She didn't want to think about the consequences of that-about what exactly would happen when she _was his_. Whether his offers were a lie or not, Jenny didn't really have a choice. She had sold herself to the devil already.

And then it hit her.

"Why didn't you choose me?"

She had asked it without thinking, making it come out quietly, confused. When the man didn't answer her, she repeated it, "If you wanted me so much, and it was your turn, why didn't you mark my house? Why did you mark Summer's?"

To that, the demon's smile dropped.

He turned away from her now, answering subtly, "The same reason you got a blade in your pocket instead of what I intended."

"Your Ancestors?"

"Yes. See, they struck the contract with your village when I was just barely created. I don't get much say in the choices, but more so in the games."

"Why not?"

Jenny didn't realize how absurd the question really sounded until the demon faced her again, a single eyebrow raised at her curiosity.

"I may not look it," he answered after a moment, "but I'm the youngest of all the Shadow Men currently created. But since it was my turn for the offering, I'm also the main contributor in this game. So they can scold me all they like, but they can't stop me from talking to you like this."

So many thoughts came to Jenny's mind then, racing by in blurs as she processed this new information. He was the youngest, but he had no say-Like a child playing amongst his grandfathers. It was an odd image to think of, but as she did, Jenny came to realize that everything she thought about demons was wrong.

She had imagined they lived in the woods and fed off lost travelers, used their bones for toothpicks, never saw the light of day, as all the stories told. She never thought they'd age. She never thought they could argue and play games, like people.

No, not like people. They took people, tricked, _killed_. They were nothing like people.

But the thoughts stirred something in Jenny that she didn't know how to feel. As wrong as it seemed, the strange images of what this demon's life was like, as the youngest, living in the dark, and he _watched_ her, _wanted_ her even.

"Do-" Jenny almost stopped, surprised she was about to ask something so absurd, before she thought, _Aw hell with it_. He already knew everything about her, apparently. It was only fair.

So Jenny swallowed and asked, "Do you...have a name?"

The smile that came onto his lips was different than before. Jenny could only say that it was softer than the others. When he walked up to her, she was prepared for anything but the way he bowed to her. He reached for her hand, but it was Jenny who gave it to him without really thinking. Just like in the beginning of this game, he lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of her fingers.

Only this kiss didn't make Jenny pass out. It woke her up.

Like a shock one gets when folding fresh sheets too quickly, that spark of energy. It raced up Jenny's arm, straight to her chest, where it stole the very breath from her lungs. He stared at her as he did it, too, eyes piercing her like two icicles, sharp, unyielding.

When he finally stood up, not daring to break their eye contact with a single blink, Jenny couldn't help but notice that he was closer-How-When she didn't know, but he was. Inches away, he still held her hand as he answered her, and his voice was as soft as the coat around her shoulders.

"You can call me Julian."

Oh.

That odd feeling struck Jenny again, harsher this time. She felt embarrassed somehow. Perhaps because he was still holding her hand, staring at her so-so _hungrily_ , like a starved wolf standing above his cornered prey.

"Well, _Julian_ ," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice level like her heart wasn't ramming in her chest faster than a jackrabbit in a field. His eyelids drooped as the sound of his name, and Jenny literally felt the small hum of approval he gave through his fingers enclosed around her own. "The faster you help me, the faster you can have me to yourself. And since you said there was a time limit, I'd really like to know what's next." She pulled her hand away after, and the air was immediately cold on her fingers the moment she did.

He smiled wickedly as a result. The wolf bared its fangs. "I already told you," he said simply.

Jenny's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. Before she could question, he was shrugging and walking, hands politely behind his back as he moved around her.

"Do you know what people fear the most?"

It was an odd question. Then again she was talking to a demon.

Jenny shook her head.

"Heights, mostly. And spiders."

"So?"

"That's what we do, Jenny. I told you, we can see everything in a person, including their fears."

Jenny understood then, almost gasping, "And you play off that."

Julian nodded, then told Jenny what she wasn't ready to hear. "You heard the monster chasing you earlier before I showed up because although animals snap at you, they've never harmed you, and you fear the unknown ones out there. We chased you with a beast because that's what your mind imagined had been chasing you all along."

Oh _God_ -

Not only were they in her head, but he said they could make anything. They could literally make her worst nightmare come true-

"Is that what's next?" she asked, fear edging her voice. "My worst fear?"

He finally moved toward her and Jenny reflexively took two steps back.

"What _is_ your worst fear?" he questioned like he didn't already know the answer.

Jenny didn't answer him. She didn't want to. She didn't want to think about all the things that scared her. She hadn't encountered much inside her tiny village, but there were some things; like the demons that took her neighbors, those insects that sting, her friends being hurt-

Her _friends_ -

"You'll want to remember," Julian continued swiftly, "if you want to win."

Jenny squinted at him. "Remember what?"

Julian shrugged. "You tell me." Then he put his back to her, as if to walk off.

The fear made Jenny snap, "I thought you wanted to help me?"

Julian pivoted on his heel so fast that Jenny flinched. "I do, love, but I told you-I'm not in total control of this game. I can only do so much." Then he flashed his teeth in a smile that was vile and devious, and added, "For free, that is."

 _Oh_.

He was playing with her. This entire conversation had done nothing but tease her. He didn't help her at all.

The anger from that made Jenny glare. She didn't want to ask. She wanted to insult him, and storm away like she's done to jerks in her village before, but this wasn't any ordinary jerk. This was a demon; A demon who had somewhat control in this game she was in. There was no telling what consequences could unfold from upsetting him.

So Jenny snapped, "Fine, what do you want?"

"How about a kiss?"

The sudden abursity, followed by his wicked smile, made all of Jenny's blood run hot with a terrible mix of anger and embarrassment. "W-Why would you-"

"Oh, Jenny weren't you listening? I want you. I've wanted you for a long time."

But to ask for such a thing-When she had no choice-

"You _pig_ ," she finally snapped once she got her breath back.

"You forget, love. I wasn't made to be nice, so I'd be careful. I'm the only help you're going to get."

"No, you're messing with me. If you really wanted to help me, you'd tell me. _Like a gift_." She watched how her mockery affected him, eyes widening just the lightest bit, before she turned on her heel. She was ready for the way he just suddenly appeared in front of her, firmly planted between the two nearest trees, arms crossed.

But his smile remained evil, cold. "You still owe me for the coat, you know."

Oh, the anger burned now, so hot that Jenny wanted to rip the coat off and throw it in his face. She might have, too, if it weren't for her common sense snapping at her that the move would be pointless. She wanted to yell at him, hit him even, but he was right. Real or not, his help was the only one she was going to get.

Thus Jenny crossed her arms, matching his firm stance. "Why don't you just take it then?"

It was the change in his face, just the slightest change, that made the realization hit Jenny in the face.

It was a subtle move, the way his smile changed from so fierce to _less_ , that the effect of her own words made it through the anger.

"You can't, can you?" she asked, thinking out loud, voice getting louder the more she realized. "You can't just take what you want. You're not allowed to. Not just you-Your Ancestors, too. That's why the Beast could only attack me if I looked at it-Because I was giving it permission. Wasn't it? _Wasn't it_?"

Julian didn't answer her. During her speech, his smile had fallen and a new one had made its way to Jenny's face. She even laughed at him, stumbling a few steps away from him in her own victory.

"Be careful, Jenny."

"Or what?" she laughed. She was going to say more, to rub it in his face-

That was, until the scream ripped through the woods.

Instantly the fear wracked through Jenny so hard that she turned toward the scream, to the voice that echoed through the trees-a voice she knew.

" _Summer_." Jenny turned back on the demon, gasping, "That's Summer!"

It was the vile smile on Julian's face that made Jenny's fear skyrocket, followed by the anger so hot that she hissed at him, "You knew."

"You really should start listening to me, Jenny," Julian answered smoothly, without hesitation. "It's true we need permission for the things we do, but there are ways to get what we want."

Summer's scream ripped through the air again.

"And I also control what happens in this game."

Oh no.

Jenny understood and the regret washed over her in waves. Whatever was happening to Summer, whatever was going to happen, he was controlling it. Because she upset him, he was showing her, _horribly_ , that he could control things even away from his physical reach. And he could end it.

For a price.

Jenny was used to being ordered around, was used to having to work for the things she wanted back in her village; having to complete multiple chores and tasks for little things like spending time with her friends, or attending shows. But never like this. Never through this kind of _torture_ , to her own friend, for something so _crude_ as a kiss. And it was the anger through that, the fact that he was hurting her friend to get it, made the strength overcome the fear in her.

"You're wrong," Jenny finally said, voice so firm that it stilled the air around her. The question came through a slight tilt of Julian's head, and the way his eyes narrowed on her, telling her to explain- _daring_ her to. So Jenny snapped.

"You say you can control everything, that you can make anything you want happen. But there's one thing you can't control, no matter how many tricks you pull, no matter how many _gifts_ you give, even with permission." To punctuate herself Jenny stormed up to him, to get right in his face; and although he towered over her so sharply, so _dominatingly_ , Jenny didn't break his gaze, firmly held her ground no matter what the consequences were. "And that's _me_."

Then she took off.

Sprinting through the trees, towards Summer's scream. Jenny had only heard her friend scream once, when a mouse ran over her foot in the barn during chores. It had been a surprised shriek that they both ended up laughing at in the end.

This one was so much worse.

It was hysterical, terrified, _pained_. Jenny had to push away the horrible images that came to her mind because they were wrong-lies-they _fed_ off those fearful ideas. And Jenny wasn't going to let them get to her. With a new determination, she raced through the trees without looking back, only searching around her for the speck of blonde among the colorless forest.

Instead, Jenny found a wall.

A brick wall at least three times her height, covered in ivy and moss and muck. Suddenly coming across it made Jenny slide to a stop. It stretched on forever, as far as Jenny could see to the left and to the right. She could hear Summer's scream so clearly. She was behind it, Jenny knew.

Desperately Jenny ran to the left a ways, then back to the right. There was no break, no hole, no way through. There was only one tree close enough to the wall. She could try and climb it, to jump over the wall, but the branches were too high. The bark was too smooth to climb, not a single knotch. She panicked.

" _Jenny!"_

In a heartbeat, Jenny faced the wall, shouting back, "Summer!"

"Jenny, help!"

"I'm coming!"

Immediately, Jenny ran and jumped at the wall. She got a good grip from the ivy strands around, but her bare feet slipped on the moss and muck. She felt her previous cuts reopen at the rocks, making her drop back down the ground. Pathetically, she tried again, trying to force herself up, gritting through the pain. This time the vines broke, dropping Jenny on her back.

Jenny was instantly rushing back to her feet, to try again, when she spotted them.

A pair of shoes, resting on a rock that she didn't notice earlier. They literally appeared right in front of her, and they were perfect; the kind that tie around one's ankle, solid on the bottom from some hardened clay. She could get up the wall with them. Jenny scrambled over to the rock, ready to snatch the shoes.

That was, until the jewlery around her neck suddenly tugged back. Like someone had yanked on it from behind, choking her just a second, pulling her whole body back-

Away from the shoes.

Jenny instantly grabbed the jewlery, but it was slack against her collar again, like nothing had happened. But the slight pain still throbbed in her throat-in the back of her mind.

Warning her.

Right. Julian wasn't the only one she was playing against in this game. Both gifts that he had given her he had done so in person. The last item she got in the middle of the game had been from-

Jenny jumped away from the shoes. It was a _trick_ -Or was it? There was no way to tell. Either way, it was from a demon, whether the one that was "helping" her or not, and Jenny wasn't using his help anymore.

Determined, Jenny stormed up and grabbed the rock from under the shoes, dropping them to the forest floor. It was bulky and heavy, but Jenny got her hands under it and pushed. Slowly, she got the thing to roll. It was hard, especially when her feet kept slipping, but Jenny moved to her knees and rolled the rock over to the only tree close enough to the wall.

Then Jenny got on the rock and jumped for the lowest branch right as Summer screamed again. The surprise made Jenny miss, slip off the rock, but she was back up. With a deep breath, she tried again and snagged the branch. It creaked under her weight, but Jenny didn't give up. She walked her feet up the trunk, carefully, pulling herself up as hard as she could until she was able to wrap her arms around the wood, then her feet. It was rough and painful, but Jenny was able to haul herself up into the tree.

It definitely felt a lot higher than Jenny thought, but she ignored the sinking feeling in her gut and crawled over to the next branch, then up the next. The entire time Summer's scream got louder, more frantic, _painful_. The panic made Jenny move faster, and the next branch she grabbed snapped under her hand.

With a shriek Jenny barely caught herself on the closest branch, clinging to it for dear life. But Summer was still screaming, so Jenny kept climbing.

Finally, there was a higher branch bent around the tree, that stretched over the wall. In a rush of adrenaline, Jenny scrambled her way to it.

"Help!"

"I'm coming, Summer!" Jenny shouted as she climbed, feeling how out of breath she was already. "Just hold on!"

"Jenny!"

" _Hold on!"_

When Jenny finally got onto the massive branch, she was ready to throw herself down it, to jump down over the wall without even looking.

Before she heard the buzzing.

It was suddenly so loud that Jenny froze in a heartbeat. Summer's screaming must've blocked it before because Jenny saw the source right in front of her and the fear almost knocked her off the branch.

On the end of her branch, the only one to stretch over the wall, was a beehive.

A _massive_ one, covering the entire end of the branch wrapped all the way around the wood. Thousands of the stinging insects swarmed over the branch, crawling and flying around. A few came at her immediately, making Jenny scramble away to the trunk of the tree, desperate to get away.

But Summer screamed again, a horrified sob from just below her, a reminder that Jenny was losing time.

But the strength Jenny had earlier was entirely gone, drained from every limb so much that her wrists and knees felt like toothpicks. All her blood drained to her toes as she stared at the vicious bugs, the ones she always ran from in fear, the ones she always avoided by taking the long way around the village townhouse for the hive that rested there.

If she wanted to get over that wall, to save Summer, she needed to literally climb _through_ the hive.

Jenny couldn't even handle one getting caught in her hair, going into hysterics and having to get someone to calm her down, to make sure it was gone. How was she supposed to handle _thousands_ of them at once?

Summer's next scream was almost enough to bring Jenny to tears. She had to help Summer, she was the only one who could.

But she _couldn't_.

All of a sudden there was one in her hair, the small weight landed just behind her ear, buzzing too loud _too much_. Jenny had to force herself not to thrash, to go scrambling back in a fit of panic and fall out of this tree. She could break her leg-or her _neck_.

"JENNY!"

Jenny felt more coming around her, another landed in her hair, crawling across her scalp, and the fear was great.

But the fear of losing Summer was greater.

So Jenny started crawling. Slowly. One shuffle at a time. Each move, more bees rose from the hive. Each inch brought another bee to her. She felt more come into her hair, onto her bare legs. She was thankful for the thick coat, knowing that the ones on her arms wouldn't be able to sting her. Jenny had to remind herself to breathe, to watch where she was putting her hands. She couldn't crush one, or they'd sting her. As long as she was slow, calm. They wouldn't sting her as long as she was calm.

But then they were crawling under the coat, up her arms. The sudden invasion made Jenny freeze where she was, and then they were moving down her neck, around her face. Jenny had to shut her mouth because if one crawled inside then really wouldn't be able to control the panic-No, relax. Keep _moving_.

It took forever, but soon Jenny was just before the hive, the top of the wall just under her. Now that she was close enough she could see the rest of the woods that stretched on the other side. These trees were farther apart, connected by some thick vines. The ground was dark and _wet_ , covered in dark leaves and mud so thick that it covered the bottom of the tree trunks. Jenny hadn't seen anything like it before-

" _Jenny!"_

Instantly Jenny found the blonde, the only bright spot among the dark. The small girl was currently pinned to one the trees. She was too far to tell how, but Jenny could see her thick mess of curls, covering her face, and her legs-

They were gone. Sunken into the floor-No, the mud. She was sinking into the mud, slipping further with each passing second. She was going to _drown_.

Before Jenny could think of a plan, a bee crawled down her forehead, toward her eye. She was thrashing her head in sheer panic before she could think about it.

Instantly the buzzing got louder, warning her, and it was as if they tightened on her skin. The weight of them increased, weighing down on her, threatening to push her down right into their hive-But she _couldn't_. They were all around her now, flying all over, crawling every inch of her face now, between her fingers, into her armpits and knees. She was afraid to move, terrified of squishing them, of being stung, of falling off the tree. She couldn't even open her eyes to _see-_

Maybe it was Summer's sobbing. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe she just snapped. But it was like a switch went off in Jenny, from panic to calm. Because instead of focusing on the screaming, the buzzing, the feel of each tiny leg crawling and threatening to break her sanity; all she could feel was the weight of the coat on her back, the weight of the jewelry hanging from her neck, and Julian's words echoing in the back of her mind.

" _They don't see the strength in you that I do."_

With a deep breath, Jenny got her feet under her and stood up. She felt the bees grow more frantic on her, buzzing like crazy, moving faster over her body. She didn't care. Without even opening her eyes, she carefully slipped her jacket off. She felt the bees brush off, then replaced with twice as many more. A sob choked in her throat at the panic that they were going to sting her-this many would kill her-

Suddenly, Summer's scream cut-off with a heart-wrenching gurgle. Jenny didn't need to open her eyes to know the blonde had finally gone under the surface.

The coat was off her in a heartbeat. Then she tossed it ahead of her, onto the hive, and jumped off it.

Before she lost her balance, before they could get angry and sting her to death. She leapt off the edge of the branch and dropped. If she miscalculated she could've jumped too short, landed on the wrong side of the wall, or worse landed on the wall and broke something. She tried to make her knees go weak, to prepare herself for the pain wherever she landed.

Instead, she went right through the mud. Jenny could only imagine it was like jumping into a lake like some kids had done before the Elders banned it. Jenny and her friends had thought about sneaking out and doing the same, but there was always that fear of what was under the murky surface. Besides they would have done it when it was dark, when no one would see them, and the dark belonged to the demons. Perhaps this jump would have been enjoyable any other time than this.

But now the thickness of the mud seemed to suck her right under and keep her there. She lost the bees, and if any stung her on the way down, she couldn't tell due to the amount of mud she inevitably breathed in. She tried to cough it out as she scrambled for the surface, but there was too much. It was too heavy, too _much_. The pressure constricted her from all around, unable to let her chest expand to breathe. She kicked frantically, clawed desperately for the surface, for anything to grab. Jenny had to tell herself to be calm, that she would reach the surface soon as long as she kept kicking.

But then the chain on her neck pulled back. Just like before, as if someone tugged it from behind. Only this time, it didn't simply pull and release. It yanked her back and _down_.

It choked Jenny in a heartbeat, killed her efforts of swimming up. It didn't stop like before. It kept pulling down, choking her, dragging her down further. Jenny couldn't stop the mud from filling her throat, nose. Desperately she clawed at the metal, but she didn't even know how it was tied around her neck. She couldn't pull it over her head, couldn't get it to ease up. It was digging into her skin, dragging her deeper in the mud.

The panic had her scrambling, helplessly sucking in more mud, choking her further. Jenny felt her lungs squeezing on her, burning for air, stomach sucking into her back. Colors flashed under eyes-images-memories of Tom, of her grandfather-Julian's smile-

All of a sudden the pressure was under her arms and in the next second she was yanked up, out of the mud.

The air was warm, humid. The mud hung off her so heavy that Jenny couldn't even lift her arms. She couldn't even open her eyes; she was covered head to toe in the stuff. It clung to her inside and out. She couldn't even cough it out-there was so much-the necklace was _still choking_ -

Before Jenny could even realize was happening, she found herself on her back, on sweet solid ground. The hands were on her throat, digging through the mud. There was tug, a snap of metal, and instantly the mud came up.

Jenny's body immediately wretched on itself to hurl the mud up. She let it happen, desperately coughing and gagging for air. The hands forced her to sit up, where the mud came up easier. It was frantic and pathetic, but soon, she was breathing air again, lungs relaxing with relief.

"That's it, Jenny, breathe."

The familiar voice in her ear nearly made Jenny stop breathing. She had to spit up the awful chalky taste in her mouth, wipe the mud off her face. The hands helped push the hair out of her face, pulling chunks of the mud off with it, so she could see.

Julian was kneeling beside her, so close with Jenny's legs thrown over his that she was practically in his lap. His clothes were the same as just minutes ago, only now his arms were covered in mud almost up to his shoulders. Those bright white bangs now hung in his face loosely and he looked-

It was odd to say, but Julian looked _relieved._ The harsh lines in his face were relaxed, mouth turned down, and his eyes… They weren't as sharp as they had been before. No, now they gazed at her, dull, almost surprised at the fact that she was just sitting there, staring at him.

Jenny watched how the whites of his eyes lessened as his widened gaze relaxed, and his shoulders hunched as he finally seemed to breathe. His hands were still in her hair, and now that he seemed a bit more relaxed, he ran his fingers through it one more time, clearing off most of the mud.

Jenny couldn't do anything but stare at him.

Then it hit her.

" _Summer_ -" Jenny immediately moved to get up, frantically searching around at the woods that were now way too quiet-she had gone _under-_

But Julian stopped her with a single hand on her arm. "She's fine."

"She was **drowning** ," Jenny hissed, pulling away in a heartbeat.

"It wasn't real." Julian countered right back. "A trick-To scare you into failing, which you didn't, by the way."

Jenny felt like her mind was stuffed with cotton-or with mud. Unable to think clearly. She was still gasping to catch her breath, waiting for the strength to come back into her limbs. She was supposed to get to Summer, to win the round, and she almost drowned and now she was in his lap, too close to those bright blue eyes-and _what was he saying?_

"You're lying."

Julian's body seemed to go slack for a second, as if disappointed in that. Without looking away from her, he lift his hand up to his side.

Jenny saw the flash of color suddenly appear behind him, over his shoulder. It was Summer, perfectly normal and clean, even in her favorite blue dress, smiling at Jenny like nothing was wrong. And in the next second, Julian dropped his hand and she slowly disappeared. The color drained from her until she was nothing more than a black and white shape of a person, that slowly dissolved into nothing and Jenny was staring at the empty stretch of woods once again.

Jenny almost didn't believe her eyes. A part of her mind refused to believe such a thing, but after experiencing it before, with the necklace, it was easier to accept than it should have been. She looked back to the demon who was no longer looking at her, but at her neck.

"That's what we do," he was speaking, but his voice was flat, dull. "We pull tricks to get permission to do what we want. Like the gift I gave you."

Jenny followed his hand from her hair down to her neck, where she saw the red angry scratches all over her collar. That's when Jenny turned where she had been laying down and found the necklace Julian given her now in pieces. She finally just seemed to realize that they were on a solid stretch of land, much like the mudpit all around, but firmer, as if the ground had solidified back into a normal pair of woods.

"It's my fault."

Jenny almost gasped.

Julian's hand dropped from her then, also now looking at the broken necklace in the dirt. Only he wasn't relieved anymore. No, the harsh look in his eyes was clearly burning with a fierce anger.

"They used that against me, as permission to hurt you. I should've seen it coming."

"Then it wasn't you?"

Jenny didn't even realize how she asked such a question until Julian turned his shocked gaze back onto her. The absurdity she saw in those blue pools made her feel guilty for even assuming such a thing. Quickly she added, "I mean, t-the shoes…"

Julian's face relaxed at that. "That was my Ancestors trying to trick you. I did pull on it, to warn you. Your round was supposed to be the bees alone, which you conquered. But the mud….." Again his eyes flickered down to her neck, to the red marks half covered in mud that he instantly glared at. "Since you didn't pick up the shoes, they used my gift as a loophole to hurt you. To try and make you fail."

It was the way he touched her then, just the faintest brush of his fingertips against her skin, accompanied with such a longing look in those clouded blue eyes, that Jenny realized….he meant it. He honestly had given her the necklace as a gift and his Ancestors turned it against her. That's why he broke it off, after he….pulled her out. It finally seemed to hit Jenny, about the mud on his arms, the relief on his face when she was breathing again-

"You saved me." Jenny gasped aloud.

She saw the confirmation in his eyes alone, how softly he finally smiled at her. "You really don't listen, do you?"

Jenny was so lost as that, so shocked that he actually didn't let her drown, even apologized for it, that when he asked, "May I?" Jenny simply nodded without even thinking about it.

Julian was amused by that, smile widening just the slightest bit before he leaned in.

Jenny reflexively pulled her head back, shock turning into embarrassment, but his hand in her hair steadied her head. He was suddenly so close that she could feel his breath on her lips, blue eyes so soft and bright that Jenny was helplessly lost in them.

Before she could really panic, a single finger under her chin gently eased her into lifting her head up. Now looking up at the sky, Jenny felt incredibly stuck, helplessly at a lost of what to do, when she felt Julian lean in and press his lips to her neck.

He kissed her neck so softly that a shiver instantly ran up Jenny's spine. He did it two, three times, moved his lips down a bit and kissed her again. His lips were so soft that it honestly came as a relief to her irritated skin. It scared her how easily her body relaxed into the sensation; So much that when his hands moved down to the back of her neck, Jenny allowed her head to tip back further, to give him more room.

It was such a strange sensation. Only one person had ever been this close to Jenny and he never did anything like _this_. Maybe it was because she just almost died, or maybe he was casting some kind of spell on her, because as wrong as she knew it was, she _liked_ it.

Slowly his hand caressed down the back of her neck, down to middle of her back, where he pressed her closer. Jenny inevitable caught herself on his bare shoulders, feeling how smooth his skin was under her fingers. He continued to kiss her neck, down the side of her nape, until her body was pressed flushed to his. Jenny didn't know when his other arm had wrapped around her waist, but she felt how he used it to completely erase the distance between them. Suddenly feeling how hard his body was against hers was enough to elicit a gasp from Jenny, but then Julian's lips were moving; around her throat, kiss after kiss until he was kissing the other side. Each one was tender and warm and just so _much_ that Jenny felt her head roll to the side, giving him all the space he needed to kiss her skin more freely.

Jenny was so lost in the notion that she forgot about the game, her time limit, even her village. She was so swept up in this moment, this sensual sensation that she fell right into notion when his lips moved again. Up her neck this time, to her chin, where he even gave a soft nip of his teeth on her skin. Jenny jumped in surprise, head coming down, but then he was kissing behind her ear, across her cheek, to the corner of her mouth-

"Oh," Jenny finally gasped, "wait, wait."

But Julian didn't pull away just yet. He spoke against her lips, breath hot, voice so _hushed_. "Do you really want me to?"

"Y-Yes."

"Alright."

Julian pulled away, fingers trailing from her hair, and felt like the world came crashing back to her all at once.

First thing she noticed was that the air was colder, a lot colder than before, just like when she first woke up in the forest. The world seemed to come back to her, finally feeling how far these woods stretched around them again, so much bigger than the space between them. She was still way too close to the demon, feeling how cool to the touch he was resting under her hands like that. She realized with embarrassment that her knees were trembling although she was sitting down and her heart-

It felt ready to ram right out of her chest.

 _I almost kissed him_ , she thought stupidly, to which she sat there, reeling in the shock. She almost kissed him, _a demon_.

The soft expression that Julian had on his face before was now long gone. Now the demon looked exalted, thrilled beyond measure. Those bright blue eyes were at least three shades darker, gazing down at Jenny like when he first saw her, when she volunteered to take Summer's place. His smile, so wicked, made any strength Jenny had vanish like the illusion of Summer moments ago.

Dumbfounded, Jenny could only watch as his hand lifted back up, brushing the back of his fingers down her neck. "There," he purred, voice so elemental that it had Jenny's complete attention. "That's better."

Jenny didn't understand at first, mind still reeling from the sensation, the shock of what just happened. That was, until his fingers danced across her neck, to her collar. Stupidly, Jenny looked down and saw the scratches were gone. Not a single red mark, even the mud was gone.

The realization had Jenny scrambling away from Julian, off his lap. "You tricked me," she gasped.

Julian's smile remained. "I did no such thing. You gave me permission."

"But you-You tried to-Ugh!" Burning with embarrassment, Jenny jumped to her feet. Only the ground just behind her heels wasn't as solid as she thought, and she stumbled.

Julian caught her in a heartbeat. Now on his feet, he snagged her by the wrist and pulled her back into his arms. He didn't wait for her mind to catch up, and ran his fingers down her face, too close for Jenny to handle. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Jenny. You were meant to be mine. There's no need to fight it."

Oh Jenny couldn't handle that. Not now. She just almost drowned, but Julian saved her and almost made her kiss him and it wasn't actually Summer but a trick and she faced the bees and she had won. She beat the second round, she did it. Without Julian's help. Sort of.

At that, Jenny didn't have the time to sit and sulk. She had to shake it off, forced herself to recover. "I'm focusing on fighting your Ancestors," she said as firmly as she could when her legs felt like jello. "So thank you for saving me, but if you're not going to help me, then I'd appreciate it if you stopped with the distractions."

She punctuated herself by storming passed him, back into the woods.

"Do you know how to tell when you're dreaming and when you're awake?"

The question was so random and so absurd that it stopped Jenny in her tracks. A part of her told herself to keep walking, to not answer him, but she was already processing his question-to what he really was getting at.

She understood what this game really was now; That these demons, these Shadow Men, played tricks even in their words.

Slowly, she faced him again where he stood politely, patiently with his hands behind his back. Jenny had to take a deep breath and run her fingers through her hair which was now growing crusty from the mud. "Yes. Because I'm asleep."

Julian lifted a finger then. "Ah, but you only realize that after you wake up."

"So?"

"So how can you know what's real _before_ you wake up?"

Jenny didn't understand. She was trying to read through his riddle, to what he really meant by dreaming and being awake, what was real and what wasn't-

 _Oh_.

The trick. The one he pulled with Summer-No, the one his Ancestors pulled before that. If that really wasn't Summer and was just some kind of illusion, then that made Jenny terrified of what was next; because clearly she didn't know the difference between reality and a trick. How was she supposed to know? How was she supposed to win without knowing?

The despair must've been obvious on her face because Julian moved closer to her. Maybe it was the way he approached her, one cautious step at a time, or maybe it was the solemn look in his eyes, telling her without words, _warning_ her-but Jenny could read it so easily. His calm expression on the outside like everything was normal when the presence he gave off was as though he was walking on eggshells. Jenny saw it so clearly. He even so much as lowered his voice as if to keep the woods from hearing. "You know, in some cultures, they prick themselves with needles during a nightmare, and the pain wakes them up."

Oh.

"And what if they didn't wake up?" Jenny asked carefully, "But their nightmare was still there."

Julian merely shrugged. "Depends on the nightmare."

Jenny understood her clue but Julian was smiling wickedly before she could respond. "Let me give you one more gift," he added, tone suddenly playful. "To make up for my Ancestors rude behavior."

It was strange how easy she was reading into his trick. Because he wanted her to, she realized. He was warning her, subtly, through another game. And Jenny understood why. It was his Ancestors that just tried to drown her. It was his ancestors who tried to trick her before with the knife and again with the shoes. If they knew what Julian was going to do next, they could turn it against her again. He...really was helping her.

As unsettling as the thought was, Jenny played along. "You know, for a demon that is supposed to be cruel and take what he wants, you sure do a lot of giving."

Now Julian's smile was amused, accented by how his eyelashes dropped heavily. "I assure you, I intend to be repaid in full."

Jenny didn't like the shiver that raced down her spine from that. She had to physically shake it off, then Julian was offering his hand.

Without a word, without giving anything away. Jenny did her best to be pliant as she took it. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, another trick like with the necklace, maybe. Instead, Julian merely folded her hand and encased it in both of his. It was odd how he was simply holding her fist, then the pressure seemed to just appear between her fingers.

Before she could even think of what just appeared in her palm, Julian tugged on her hand, and just like that she was back in his space. He kept her hand closed with one hand while the other reached for her. Jenny could have pulled away, could have demanded an explanation, a straight answer.

But he was so _serious_. It was frightening really.

That's why she allowed him to run his hand up her cheek, into her hair, where he cupped the back of her head. And when he leaned in to kiss her forehead, Jenny inevitably closed her eyes.

The second his lips touched her skin, Jenny felt the world leave her.

Strength, time, space-It all dropped away from her so fast that she didn't even feel her body collapse. All she felt was the smooth touch of Julian's hand on hers, and his voice, so smoothly echoing in the back of her mind.

" _Wake up, Jenny."_

 ** _Alright! Here's chapter 2, as always I apologize about the delay. It took me a while to perfect this chapter so I hope its good! There's going to be at least 2 more chapters after this, so keep your eye out! Please let me know what you think! Till my next update!_**

 ** _-ZVA_**


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